


Take a Shot

by neon



Series: The Red Shot Bar AU [1]
Category: Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anal Fingering, Intercrural Sex, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:35:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25315417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neon/pseuds/neon
Summary: Part One of theRed Shot Bar AU: Avalanche doesn’t exist. Barret is the owner of theRed Shotbar in Sector 7’s slum, and Cloud is the former SOLDIER turned mercenary who’s rolled into town."I’d find a different bar to drink if I were you,SOLDIER."Barret had pounded his one arm down on the counter, cutting between his bartender Tifa and the sussed out SOLDIER. The commotion sputtered any chatter around them, the folks who were familiar with the bar owner's belligerent reputation, and who recognized the other man for what he was, sensing how this was going to play out. Anyone who stepped into Barret’s bar with eyes like that was in for a world of trouble.Tifa set down the drink by the counter edge, saying his name. But Barret raised his hand, not brooking an objection, not even from sensible, kind-hearted Tifa. Not this time."Ex-SOLDIER."
Relationships: Cloud Strife/Barret Wallace
Series: The Red Shot Bar AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1858192
Comments: 26
Kudos: 183





	Take a Shot

"I’d find a different bar to drink if I were you, _SOLDIER_."

Barret had pounded his one arm down on the counter, cutting between his bartender Tifa and the sussed out SOLDIER. The commotion sputtered any chatter around them, the folks who were familiar with the bar owner's belligerent reputation, and who recognized the other man for what he was, sensing how this was going to play out. Anyone who stepped into Barret’s bar with eyes like that was in for a world of trouble.

Tifa set down the drink by the counter edge, saying his name. But Barret raised his hand, not brooking an objection, not even from sensible, kind-hearted Tifa. Not this time.

" _Ex_ -SOLDIER."

Barret blinked at the boy. A blondie with a fiercely pretty boy face. And undeniably a warrior. Small-statured and narrow-waisted, but tough and sinewy. His bare upper arms showed that off. Then there was, of course, the eyes. Blue once maybe, flecked now with unmistakable mako green.

Most people who didn’t know Barret well (as the boisterous owner of the _Red Shot_ , with a side hustle procuring black market weapons to protect the slums from some of Shinra’s nastiest mistakes that crept too close to the edge), took one look at the man (the tall, brawny, tattooed, and one-armed man) and thought better than to mess with him. So Barret didn’t expect the talk back.

But this punk didn’t seem to care. Had his arms folded, leaning on them on the countertop, even after Barret had crashed down in his space. He looked unbothered, unconcerned, unthreatened.

"That right?" Barret growled.

Some talk from around the slums nagged at him though. Something Jessie from the Watch had come in there and drunkenly gushed about recently - her firsthand account of the gorgeous stranger who’d appeared from nowhere, lugging a massive sword, cutting down doomrats and Shinra dog experiments gone wrong.

"…You the one’s been helping the Watch?"

"Yup."

Barret rumbled, _Hmm_.

He pushed off his elbow, still staring down the blond. Then he reached for the glass set down earlier and slid it across wood into the boy's fluid catch. Their staredown continued, as the glass was raised in a cocky little tip to Barret.

Got attitude, this one, thought Barret.

Barret’s frown deepened, _Hmph..._ The _ex_ -SOLDIER knocked his drink back, his eyes still on Barret. Slid his gil across the counter, and left.

* * *

Barret was splitting up funds for the night, tossing a little extra Tifa’s way. "For looking after Marlene this week."

Tifa was the last one out, hanging around by polishing up one of a few remaining glasses to set it on the back shelf. Barret sat at the corner of the bar, grumbling over slips and sliding gil with his finger to count it up. Tifa smiled. "Anytime, Barret. You know how much I love your little girl."

She placed the last glass, wringing her hands in the dishrag. She turned from the back wall, the short black tail tied at the bottom of her long hair swishing behind her. "He’s okay, by the way." She reminded Barret, "The mercenary? I know him."

Barret cocked an eyebrow. Pretty girl like Tifa was always getting chatted up by different fellas, and she always kept it light, professional too, as she kept pouring their drinks and collecting their tips. But he’d thought there’d been something more there when he’d spotted her being the one all bright-eyed, doing the chatting up herself with the new face in the bar. Before Barret had gotten a closer look at that face and disrupted that chat.

"You do, do ya?"

She scrunched her nose, and held a hand out in the air. "It isn't like that! Haven’t seen him since we were kids, but we grew up together."

"Well a _kid_ will change in that much time," Barret said, "And it looks like your boy has seen some action." Barret couldn’t imagine anyone become a SOLDIER with their soul intact. Messed up shit.

"Yeah… yeah, I guess so." Tifa must have seen it in him herself, then - but got caught up in the revelation of seeing him at all again. "…I get your point. But I’m plenty good at taking care of myself, you know."

"Oh, I know damn well. But you don’t want to get mixed up in that SOLDIER brand of crazy."

She teased, "But it’s _ex_ -SOLDIER, remember?"

_Uh-huh._ "We’ll see 'bout that. Once a Shinra lap dog, always a Shinra lap dog."

She didn’t tease, when she told him, "Please don’t start." Barret snorted, and waved her a brisk good night when she headed out.

* * *

The name of mister _ex_ -SOLDIER was Cloud Strife, Barret learned. And Cloud Strife actually came back to the bar.

Parking his tight ass onto the barstool for the second time, he stared coolly at Barret behind the counter in a silent bet to see who would break the tension first. Barret was the one who folded - too talkative for his own damn good.

"What’ll it be, _merc_?"

And then Cloud Strife kept coming back. Drinking most times alone, being a quiet little pain in the ass. Barret couldn’t stand his damn silence. He started prodding at the mercenary to get a rise out of him, just because the fool looked so pathetic.

Learned fast that that cool, icy demeanor shattered quickly when the merc started talking back. Harsh comebacks that would shut most folks down - folks who weren’t as tough-skinned or headstrong as Barret, that was. He’d even admit he started to like the merc, once he got mouthy.

Barret’d also admit, it was weird - the two of them finding equilibrium in their trash talk. But it was like this: they were unafraid of each other, when most other people were afraid of them.

At least that was how Barret saw it. And he saw a lot of things that other people missed - came with the job, to observe and know your patrons. (And, if Barret was honest with himself, he didn’t mind "observing" the ex-SOLDIER one bit.)

Sometimes Cloud showed up keen-eyed and smart-mouthed. Sometimes he came in haggard, shuffling in after a nasty fight, and those nights he didn’t stick around long. One hard drink and gone. Either way, he tipped - well. Giving Barret his first glimpse of how he could be labeled Tifa’s "okay" friend.

One night finally, he showed up with some drinking buddies, three of the Watch’s finest - Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge. The trio waved and called out their greetings to Barret, and Tifa behind the bar, while they found a table with open seats. Cloud gave Barret a terse nod. Tifa, a fleeting smile. Very fleeting, as he turned back to the table.

Barret overheard Cloud grumble to the Watch, "If you’ve got gil to spend on drinks, then you should have gil to pay me."

While Jessie and Wedge nervously laughed and cast their eyes around the room, it was Biggs who smoothed things over. "Tomorrow, man. Don’t worry, we’ll have the money."

"You better."

Cloud slid his weapon off his back while Jessie groaned, _Aw, man! But I need to rehearse!_ after being firmly told she was on water filter changing duty tomorrow to cover Cloud’s reward. _C’mon, enough talk about money - tonight, we're celebrating!_ The three chattered away, and Cloud looked around for a spot for his sword.

Barret was about to tear into him, _Don’t scratch my floors with that stupid hunk of metal_ , but Cloud was already laying it flat under his chair instead of sticking the point into the boards to have it lean. Barret appreciated it. Like how he tipped, Barret was finding out Cloud was full of these small considerations. Always screwing up in his tough guy routine. Cloud would’ve been loathe to admit to that, but there was no fooling Barret. The hard-ass definitely had a soft heart.

Which had been a hard truth to accept, knowing what Cloud used to be. But the 'ex' before the 'SOLDIER' seemed genuine. Cloud had just as much love for Shinra as Barret, which meant less than zero. Barret had even heard a funny fact about a "hobby" Cloud had, when he was out helping the Watch: busting up any and all Shinra cargo he came across. That piece of stupid, petty information had convinced Barret more than anything that Cloud was the real deal. Sounded like something Barret would do.

Cloud had obviously earned the Watch’s stamp of approval, which meant Cloud had to be alright. It was _Tifa’s_ stamp of approval that really had something to say about the merc, though. The Watch was full of jokesters, but that was definitely not a descriptor Barret, or anyone, would ever apply to Tifa. She didn’t give her approval willy-nilly. No, you had to earn that girl’s genuine respect. And Cloud somehow had.

Barret and Tifa went way back, since he’d first started the bar. He knew when she was into a guy or not - she had plenty of rejected admirers who hung around the bar still to see her. There was history between her and Cloud obviously, but not that kind of history. She’d said herself childhood friends, and seemed like she hadn’t lied when she’d told Barret that was all on her side of the equation.

There was a suspicion Barret had about Cloud’s half of the equation. Watching whenever Jessie practically plastered herself to his arm, how he shrugged her off. Watching how he ducked his head shyly when Biggs though ruffled the top of his head, on a second trip to order their next round of drinks.

"Coming right up," Tifa said, her eyes squinting with her smile. She balanced their drinks made-up on a tray with one hand and swung the partition open with her other. Lowered the tray and slid it toward the center of their table without splashing a drop, all while saying, "Hey, Cloud - think I found a place you can stay!"

"Oh, yeah?"

Barret thought too, Oh yeah? It sounded like Cloud was sticking around.

"Rent’s cheap," she said, to hook him. "But the place isn’t… well, it’s not horrible! It has clean water, and a great view-"

"Of the slums?" Tifa laughed airily, _Well…_ "Where’s this place?"

"Right down the street - Stargazer Heights."

Cloud leaned his cheek against his raised knuckles, smirking lightly. "Fucked up name. That a joke?"

One loud bark of laughter erupted from Barret. Tifa laughed too. "Not a joke, I swear. Interested?"

"Sure." Cloud’s glinting look pulled itself from Barret’s outburst by the bar, back to Tifa. "Thanks, Tifa."

"No problem. I’ll let the landlady know-"

"I can just swing by. If you think that’s okay. You’ve got enough on your plate."

Barret smirked at yet another slip-up. Boy just couldn’t help himself, could he?

"Oh - shouldn’t be a problem, if you do," Tifa answered.

She was smiling, as she rejoined Barret on the other side of the bar - smiling appreciatively. Barret got it, how Cloud had earned her stamp. Kind consideration for others was probably Tifa’s most valued trait. And Cloud was, as she’d once put it to Barret, a nice guy underneath it all.

"And the slums drag another one down," Barret said to her, about Cloud.

_Mm_ , she agreed, a little wistfully. Before she gave Barret a knowing look. "Don’t tell me that doesn’t make you just a little happy."

Like Barret had said, he and Tifa went way back. Knowing each other’s interests went both ways.

"Just double-checking," Barret said to her, "That alright by you, if it does?"

Tifa flashed Barret a smile. "Perfectly alright. Take your shot, Barret. I think you might find it won’t be as hard to hit as you think."

Barret looked up as Cloud stood from the table, openly appreciating the grace in the sway of the swordsman’s gait while he crossed the room. "That so?"

"Another round," Cloud grumbled, oblivious as he lowered just as gracefully onto a seat. No doubt unhappy to see more of the Watch's gil circle the drain.

Barret took it on himself to make their drinks, since Tifa had slid off down the bar counter in a decision to see to a different customer. Cloud settled in, buff arm lying along the edge, gloved finger tapping wood.

Barret poured, not missing how Cloud was studying Barret's hand while he did. He’d gotten pretty damn dexterous with only the one.

"Hey, listen up a sec, merc."

Cloud looked up, waiting. Barret set the bottle down.

"It ain’t easy being stuck in one place, you know. Might not get that, moving around as much as you have I’m guessing. Ask most folks in here though, and they sure as hell didn’t choose to live their lives on the bottom floor."

He could see Cloud on the edge of deciding whether or not his hackles should be up. "…What are you getting at?"

"Just asking if you’re sure you want to pick this here paradise to make your living. You’ve got options. Most people don’t."

"And what about you?" Barret lifted an eyebrow at the question. "You feel stuck here," Cloud without looking away from Barret tipped his head at the crowd behind him, "Like the rest of them?"

Barret didn’t have to consider. He’d found out his answer to that a long time ago. "Nah. I built this bar to help the people down here forget their troubles. Wouldn’t ever abandon them." Cloud put his other elbow on the counter and placed his chin thoughtfully in the palm of his raised hand, scanning the walls of the bar like he saw something new about them.

Barret chuckled. "S’pose we might be in the same line of work, you and me."

Cloud’s eyes skimmed back over to Barret, then to the next drink he was pouring. "How you figure?"

"You’re helping take away their troubles, too, every time you cut down another monster out in Scrap Boulevard. Gotta appreciate that."

Cloud’s hand dropped, curling then tightening on his opposite bicep. His gaze lifted by degrees. "…That really how you see me?"

There was something all wrong about the way he asked that. All too vunerable. Wary. From fear of feeling hopeful. He _wanted_ to be seen. Barret realized that, and realized too, in a rare bout of guilt, how he was definitely not the first to be prejudiced toward Cloud because of him being a SOLDIER.

But it _was ex_ -SOLDIER, wasn’t that right.

"Don’t doubt for a _second_ that I wouldn’t call it like I see it."

And Barret did see him different, now. Cloud had to know that.

In a moment, Cloud smirked like himself again. "Nah. Wouldn’t ever doubt that."

Barret thunked down the last glass, expression mirroring the merc's.

He gestured for Cloud to take the drinks back to the table - just so he could watch the back half of his walk, too.

"Hold up." _What now?_ Cloud sighed, and turned around at the shoulders. He looked damn fine just standing like that. "You can keep up with those three Blugus, but I haven’t seen you so much as wobble. Been wondering if a SOLDIER can even get drunk."

"You think I come for the heart-to-heart chats?"

He was still an asshole, that was for sure. "I’m 'bout to kick your ass outta here." Cloud leered. "Like to see me try, huh?"

"It’d be funny enough."

"Back to my question - what’s the deal? All that mako give you a high tolerance?"

"…If you really want to know, yeah. I can only get a buzz. Truth is I wouldn’t ever have enough gil to actually get drunk."

Barret had asked, but hadn’t apparently been ready for the answer. "You for real? The hell you hang around here for, seriously!?"

He didn’t expect Cloud to blush - but that’s what Cloud did, the tips of his ears glowing pink. He looked flustered, and annoyed as hell, too, when his normally cool eyes betrayed him and swept Barret up and down.

Oho, thought Barret.

"I-"

" _Cloud!_ What’s the hold up, man?"

"C’mon, Cloud - I’m _dying_ of thirst!"

"Yeah, hurry up, bro! We’re gonna start the dart competition!"

The table called. Cloud was forced to retreat.

"Whatever."

Barret chuckled, rubbing his beard and chin as he again blatantly admired Cloud stalk off - body even now still full of grace, naturally.

An easy shot to take, huh? Well, if it was so easy, Barret had better make sure not to miss.

* * *

Cloud had moved in on the same street as the _Red Shot_ , but in the days and weeks while he settled in, Barret saw him less.

Barret caught a far-off glimpse of him one sunny afternoon (as sunny as it got, that was, under the Plate). He was carrying Marlene on his shoulder after picking her up from her schooling with Biggs, who’d been holding down the fort at the Watch’s office, to treat her hard work with a stop at the playground on their way home.

It was the first time Barret saw Cloud in broad daylight. He lifted his sunglasses to see him better. Sun looked good glowing on his blond hair. Barret could only imagine what it was doing to his insanely colored eyes.

The merc strode on into the distance, looking like he was on a mission. Probably was. The number of fiends slain had ticked higher than ever, on the tracker board Barret walked Marlene under.

Barret's next sighting took place much closer to home.

Marlene, adorable in the overalls she’d picked out during their morning routine to get ready, was hanging on the porch of the _Red Shot_ , while Barret got things set up inside for opening, and the weapons trade-off that was lined up after hours.

Barret didn’t know what, but there was something to the pitter-patter of her steps that had him moving to the window to check things out.

Marlene hid around the railing of the porch. Because in the bare plaza right out front stood Cloud.

Barret heard, muffled but still audible through the glass, his daughter's tiny but stern voice telling Cloud, "…Daddy says I shouldn’t talk to strangers."

Good girl, Barret thought, chest swelling with pride.

Cloud glanced down after he’d stopped to look idly at the upper eaves of the building on his way by, paying her the same half attention as he agreed. "Yeah? You should listen to your dad, kid."

At the implication he _was_ a dangerous stranger, Marlene shrunk further behind the railing. Merc thinking he could talk to Barret’s daughter like that - Barret was ready to storm out there to teach Cloud a lesson. No need to scare a kid unnecessarily like that.

Marlene peeked between the rails, still fixated on Cloud despite her worries. Cloud noticed too, and blinked down at his chest for what she was focused so intently on.

For some inexplicable, goddamn reason, tucked under the strap of Cloud's leather suspender was the stem of a yellow flower.

Barret witnessed as Cloud gently pulled the flower free, and walked closer to silently place it on the bottommost step. Leaving it there, for Marlene to pick up without fear of trouble. Just as casually Cloud walked away. Not even stopping to look back and see if his gift was received.

Barret stood immobile at the window. He stood gob-smacked.

Still was, as Marlene at last rushed forward to retrieve the flower, and then rushed gleefully inside to find and show it to Barret.

"Daddy, look, look! A _real_ flower! This pretty man had it - oh, but I _didn’t_ leave the porch, _or_ say anything-"

"Yeah… I saw, honey," Barret said, shaking himself out of his stunned moment, that was being prolonged by the perfume of the very real flower, to smile warmly at her. "You were a very good girl. Why don’t we find a vase for your flower, and then we’ll get you ready for Tifa’s, huh?"

Barret waited for Cloud’s eyes to light on the flower when he showed up at the bar that night. He was obviously surprised to see it, there in a thin, fluted vase behind the counter.

He lowered onto a barstool, finally pulling his gaze away to eye Barret.

"Thanks for the bouquet, blondie," Barret wheedled.

"I didn’t give it to _you_ ," Cloud responded, sufficiently annoyed. Before he asked, "So… does that mean… you got a kid?"

"Sure do." Barret couldn’t help the grin that spread his cheeks, the swell of fondness that spread his chest. "Marlene. Light of my life."

"You’ve never mentioned her."

Barret gaped. "That can’t be right." He leaned over the counter, saying repetitively to try and prod the merc’s mistaken memory, "My little girl. My perfect _Marlene_."

Cloud raised his arms in a wide shrug at Barret’s incredulity. "I’m sure you just weren’t paying attention," Barret declared, straightening with a self-sure smirk.

Cloud rolled his eyes and scoffed. He dropped his arms and crossed them on the counter. Then idly traced a line in the woodwork. "…Any other members of the family you forgot to mention?"

He was really asking something else, though. Why was Barret so enamored by such a clumsy-ass line of questioning?

"Only other family is the folks in this bar," Barret answered. "So, what’s the story with the flower?"

Cloud ran a bothered hand on top of his hair, momentarily flattening his spikes before they sprung back up into their unusually organized disarray. He grumbled, "Someone thought it was good payment instead of gil."

"And _you_ took it instead of gil." Barret knew how Cloud was about his fees. And instead of selling the flower to collect on his fee, he’d given it away to a kid he didn’t know. No small thing, since an actual flower was worth a pretty gil.

Merc, Barret was finding out, might not just have a _soft_ heart. He might just have a heart of damn _gold_.

"It was an odd job," came Cloud’s initial explanation.

"That so?"

Cloud regaled Barret with the tale - a job Biggs had hooked him up with ( _Last job I take from him_ , muttered Cloud) at the orphanage the Leaf House, some kids and some toad king, and their reward a single flower from a local florist. It was all they’d had to offer, apparently.

Cloud drank what Barret slid his way. Thunked his glass back down a little hard, sighing heavily, rubbing the fingers on both hands flat on his eyelids. Barret chuckled.

"You got a lot of stress. Ya know that?"

"Well, I didn’t get my money," said Cloud. Didn't pay to be nice, huh?

"Tough break. Haven’t spoken with you for a while - how’s that apartment working out?"

Cloud rotated the bottom edge of his drink on the bartop. He shrugged.

"It’s fine. Neighborhood’s decent enough, despite what everyone says… There’s this bar nearby that’s not half bad." Cloud murmured the last part around the edge of his raised glass. For him, sheepishly.

No way could Barret wait for Cloud to be the one to ramp this up. Barret decided it was time to get this train rolling.

"Lookin' like you might need more than a drink."

He watched as Cloud registered the line he’d been fed. Cloud straightened his back, his focus caught. He swallowed the alcohol on his tongue before responding.

"Oh, yeah? What’s on the menu?"

"Think you know, man."

Cloud’s eyes rounded, big enough to catch and shine with the bar’s low amber lighting. But, he hesitated. His eyes dropped to his glass, two fingers tapping its side. Barret saw.

Barret swung over his shoulder the rag he picked up. "Aight - it’s cool. You just lemme know if you ever decide you wanna place that order."

Before Barret turned fully away, a touch on his bicep stopped him. Cloud lifted his hand an instant later.

He stared back down into his drink, before raising his eyes when he said:

"Guess I do."

Barret grinned. "That’s what I like to hear."

* * *

The weapons dealers were let out the back door of the bar the same way they’d come in, and once they were far down the alley, Barret asked, "Y’here?"

Cloud stepped out of the shadows, looking the way they’d walked off too. He turned to Barret, waiting.

"Come on in," Barret said. "Lock up behind you, would ya?"

Cloud closed the door and did, with a soft click. Barret rolled the wool blanket on one of the tables up and the weapons on it, fisting the edges closed together and hefting the bundle over to one of the pinball machines. "Be right back."

He pulled a knob on the pinball machine, and the secret elevator descended. He stored the weapons in the lower level, then came back up to catch Cloud’s interested look. "I’m full of surprises," Barret said with a smirk.

"I guess." Unappreciated, Barret scowled.

"Come on." Barret led the way to the door tucked in the right back of the bar, that opened on a set of stairs going up.

Barret didn’t hear Cloud’s footsteps creaking on the steps behind his own heavy ones. When he looked back Cloud was standing framed at the bottom of the flight. Hesitating.

Barret got it a second later. Another of Cloud’s little considerate behaviors. What kind of parent did he think Barret was? "Marlene’s with Tifa tonight, if that’s what you’re wondering. I don’t have her here when I’m making a deal for the Watch."

_Ah_ , said Cloud, and he finally set his foot down on the first step.

Barret continued leading down the hall to his bedroom, tugging the lamp chord inside for some light. He shut the door after Cloud made his way in.

Barret gestured with his chin toward his low dresser for a place Cloud could set his sword after he pulled it off his back. Thing was so long, it still hung off both edges.

Cloud looked around at the rest of the furniture and the room at large. Old wood walls held Barret’s things between them, in the corner a vintage record player he’d rescued from the scrap, in front of the window a desk covered in books and one of Marlene’s misplaced dolls, by the bed a nightstand with another lamp, and against the wall Barret’s large bed made up with a red and black sheet set.

Barret let Cloud take it in. He was almost afraid of spooking the merc. He was standing as part of the room, but standing actually _apart_ from the room. Trying to look casual, but looking real flighty.

"Hey, Cloud." Cloud’s attention swiveled to him. "Anytime you feel like changing your mind, speak up. No hurt feelings."

"…Why would I do that?" Well, alright then. Barret gave him one more warning, _I’m serious_ , and Cloud responded irately, _Alright, I got it_.

"Get your boots off, then."

Cloud did, kneeling stiffly. He grabbed the empty ankles, and Barret thought how vulnerable Cloud in stocking feet looked. Cloud walked back near the door to line his boots up next to where Barret had set down his own. While he straightened, Barret laid one giant hand on his spine.

Cloud kept turning so Barret’s hand glided around to his waist. He squeezed that trim waist, feeling Cloud's slight, sharp intake of breath, and just how solid his posture was. Barret slid his hand up, feeling every knot in Cloud’s back and shoulders.

"Never met anyone so pent up."

"Yeah - sorry."

"Don’t have to apologize - that’s what we’re here to take care of."

Cloud shifted weight from one leg to another, one small degree of give. "You don’t gotta really - I mean, we can just screw."

"Naw, man. I can tell you need it."

Cloud’s barely there tense expression finally cleared, as he lowered his gaze. The gratefulness was obvious, to Barret. If that was what he wanted, why’d he try to say different?

Real piece of work, this one.

Barret made his voice rumble, knowing how he could sound. "So then, relax. Lemme show you how we can make that happen."

There was that pink blush on the tops of Cloud's ears. Like Barret said, he knew what his voice could do. "Don’t go getting shy on me now," said Barret.

"I’m not." Cloud snapped out of it. Or really, snapped back _into_ his regular, tough guy self. "Shut up."

"Alright then." Barret swerved them against the door, pushing Cloud up against it until his feet lifted off the floor.

Quick as expected, Cloud wrapped his knees in reflex around Barret’s wide trunk of a waist. One palm of his braced on the door behind, the other on Barret’s shoulder. Barret checked, "We good here?"

Cloud nodded, pushing his palm over the round of Barret’s shoulder to hook Barret entirely in his arm, pulling the rest of him closer in the adjustment. The merc's eyes were sharp and bright. His voice was low and husky.

"Yeah. Good."

Barret closed any gap left between them with the crush of his mouth on top of Cloud’s.

Pretty mouth wasn’t just for show - Cloud put in the work quick to catch up with Barret’s barreling pace. Slick tongue rolling to meet Barret’s heavy slide through his lips. And then, a little surprisingly Barret wasn’t gonna lie, taking initiative to nip at Barret’s beard and neck when they finally had to break for air.

One strap of Cloud’s suspenders came off, Barret running his hand up under the back of it for Cloud to shrug the rest of the way off. It slapped loose down around Cloud's thigh from where it was still hooked in the leather guard wrapping his waist. That was as far as they got, since Cloud pushed his hand off the door then and slid dangerously, before Barret thrust and stepped in, to get him sitting back up above Barret’s hips, to push his back flat to the door this time to hold him in place.

Cloud vibrated with a stifled moan, when Barret’s palm rubbed along his back to catch him, when their chests bumped flush, that Barret felt all of anyway.

"Damn."

At Cloud’s blink, and his low and wary, _What?_ Barret told him, "Just thinking what’s gonna happen when we get you out of these clothes. You’re a touch-starved bastard, ya know that?"

Cloud frowned. But Barret was damn sure gonna find out. "Other one," he growled, touching his teeth to the leather.

He was going to let Cloud deal with the pauldron side. Cloud expertly hooked his thumb under the metal edge and released some latch. Then, looking for and receiving Barret’s nod, let the pauldron drop out of his hand to land on the floorboards with a heavy thunk. The strap fell along with it to hang.

Done, he smoothed his freed hands against the bristles covering Barret’s cheeks, up and behind his head to fist and tug the short hair on top where his fade ended, deepening another open-mouthed kiss. _Really_ putting in the work. Barret was into it. But he wasn’t gonna stand there and just make-out with Cloud all night.

Barret stooped to get his left arm under Cloud’s ass, and hold him up on it to walk their way around to the bed. And broke their kiss to throw him on it.

Cloud bounced on his back, straps slapping around him, and glared after rising onto his elbows. Didn’t have time to bitch though when Barret followed him down.

On an urge, he pulled a hard thumb at the corner of Cloud’s eye, forcing it to wink shut and squint back open as Cloud flinched.

His pupil was blown, ringed by that explosion of color spraying green streaks across blue. They really were incredible looking, even if the fact of them told the sad, messed up story of mako.

"What?" Cloud batted Barret’s wrist, continuing his glare. "Nothing, man," Barret answered. "Guess I can appreciate those eyes of yours, after all."

Barret buried his nose against Cloud’s suddenly warming neck. His lips scratched the fabric of his ribbed collar. "Help me get this off, would ya?"

He sat back for Cloud to sit up. At his back Cloud unhooked the guard that covered half his shirt, and then once that was removed, he reached over the back of his head with both arms to pull his shirt forward, hardly upsetting his already tousled spikes as it came off. After a moment of hesitation, he tossed his things over near his pauldron.

Barret whistled low, taking in the sight of Cloud's bared midriff.

Not a lick of fat on his core. Just flat muscle and tight skin and sharp lines along that straight, narrow torso. Barret should’ve guessed from how toned his arms were.

Pushing until Cloud dropped back down, Barret spread his fingers on the center of him, feeling up his muscles. Also, though, feeling some stiff resistance, and the quick thrum going on underneath his rising and falling diaphragm.

"You gotta relax."

Cloud did the opposite and bristled. But just as quickly, realized he had. He struggled before squeezing his eyes shut and blowing a harsh breath.

"You feel me?" Barret asked. He started rubbing, in slow circles, a tight spot above one of Cloud’s pecs. He felt it swell with Cloud’s surprised inhale, then drop again as the breath was slowly released.

"Yeah," answered Cloud. His eyes opened again without lifting to Barret's. "I, uh… I’m just not really used to relaxing."

_Real_ piece of work, this one. Barret couldn’t have been bothered to heed his own advice about getting mixed up with SOLDIERs, or _ex_ -SOLDIERs. Wasn’t gonna heed it after getting interested this far to know Cloud. Wasn’t gonna _damn_ heed it now with Cloud half-naked under him.

"No shit?"

Cloud huffed and rolled his head in the same direction as he rolled his eyes. Barret dipped in and licked his earlobe, silver stud clicking under his teeth. He heard Cloud’s teeth tap together as he resisted the shiver that passed through him.

Barret worked his own tank top off, telling Cloud when he shifted uncertainly to help out, _Nah, I got it_. He bunched and grabbed all the material behind his neck and leaned forward, until his forehead was touching Cloud’s chest, to then pull it all down across the back of his head.

He straightened. The open armhole slipped off his right side easy enough, and Barret let the other strap slide down his left arm to come off completely, grabbing it when it fell to his hand and throwing it in the direction of Cloud’s own stripped clothes. He turned back at the feel of Cloud’s fingertips on his chest and stomach, sweeping the coarse hairs that grew there.

Barret grabbed Cloud’s other wrist to get his other hand to start feeling him up too, like he obviously wanted to. Barret was no super SOLDIER like Cloud, but he was definitely a mass of muscle himself. He could feel Cloud appreciating that.

Cloud's fingers followed the thickest trail of hair where it disappeared under Barret’s waistband. He hefted himself up by grabbing that waistband, trusting Barret was solid enough to not fall forward when he did. Barret said, _Whoa, hey now_ , even though he was definitely solid enough.

"Cool if I…?" Cloud’s hands hovered at the button of his fly.

" _Duh_."

Cloud glared from under his lashes, then popped the button out. Tugged the zipper down, and grabbed the pants at the hips to pull.

Once they were loose on Barret’s legs, he kneed backwards off the bed to stand and shake them all the way down. He stood a while longer, since Cloud had pulled off his socks and was starting to take his own pants off.

"Damn, son, you are _ripped_." It was hard to tell under those baggy pants of his, but his thighs and calves were shaped too by muscle. Hard, impressive muscle. The sharp cuts alone from his waist tapering down below the band of his boxer briefs into each hip was going to fuel Barret for a hell of a long time.

Cloud, flustered under the attention and trying not to show it, grumbled, "Are you gonna just look?"

"Hell no." Barret climbed back onto the bed, grabbing under one of those thighs, bearing down on Cloud and immediately rocking their hips together.

Cloud’s eyes slammed closed, while his mouth fell open around a sharp gasp.

"Fuck-"

"Ain’t gonna fuck you," Barret said, leaning close to growl into Cloud’s ear. "Bettin’ you wanna be able to walk tomorrow." He rolled his hips again to make his point, Cloud no doubt feeling the huge bulge between his legs. He damn well didn’t want to scare Cloud off their first night. Cloud chewed the corner of his bottom lip under a canine, releasing it.

"But I wanna get my fingers in that tight little ass of yours, while I fuck you through your thighs. That sound like a plan to you?"

_Fuck_ , Cloud repeated, eyelids fluttering. His voice was hoarse. "Sounds - good. I’m in."

"Raise those hips."

Barret dropped Cloud’s leg so he could, and then Cloud did, digging both heels into the bed for Barret to strip his black boxer briefs off. A hiss escaped him quietly, as the elastic was drawn over his mostly erect cock.

Barret rolled his pink tongue out, covering and wetting his lips at the sight of Cloud when he laid back again. Cloud's cock was just as slender and fucking as pretty as the rest of him. There was a dark blue vein under the red flush, that Barret made sure to thumb when he took hold and fisted up.

One of Cloud’s heels scraped up the bed, wrinkling the covers. Cloud choked on the noise that tried to rise out of his throat. The quiet noise turned into Barret’s name.

Barret felt himself burning like the Bomb monster tattooed on his shoulder.

He clapped a large hand on Cloud’s thigh, "Roll on your side."

It took a moment for Cloud to register the order. While he did that, Barret reached into the nightstand to rummage for the bottle he knew he had of lube in there somewhere. Once he found it he tossed it nearby, while he shimmied off his own black briefs.

He sidled back over to Cloud, spreading his lap and kneeling crosswise behind Cloud's ass, grabbing up the rolling bottle and thumbing the cap open.

"Keep your knees together." So he could lift and swing Cloud's bent legs halfway over one of his parted thighs. Cloud remained lying on his side, but did raise himself on an elbow to twist and get a good look. "Like this - okay?" Cloud nodded to show he got it.

Barret poured lube down his dick, then spread it around under his fist. He groaned from finally getting a hand down on that aching area. He twisted and stroked a few more times to enjoy himself, unabashedly groaning some more. He was as noisy in bed as he was anywhere else. Maybe he could get Cloud to feel like joining in, if he was loud enough to cover up his sounds for him.

Cloud was watching, mouth parting in a slight moue while he was. Barret leered.

"Good show?" Cloud’s pupils were blown when he looked up at Barret’s face. Instead of admitting it though, he flattened his mouth back out, and slid his elbow so he laid back down, causing a low, grumbling swear from Barret.

Barret pinched Cloud's thigh, causing him to twitch, but stubbornly not getting any other reaction out of him. Barret lined himself up, to push his swollen cock in that crease between the backs of Cloud’s thighs.

The bulge of Cloud’s thigh muscles was a sweet squeeze. His ass cheek under Barret’s palm was one, too. The grip became the source of a shiver that ran down Cloud’s legs. Barret pushed, until he felt the tip of his cock nudge behind Cloud’s balls. Cloud felt that too, judging from the sound he made. Another whine, repressed in his throat. He pushed his knees tighter together, whether he realized it or not.

Barret drizzled some more lube and got a good slide going. Cooing as he started fucking his cock between Cloud’s thighs, sliding it out the other side up along Cloud’s length. Cloud tucked his chin down to watch Barret’s cock poke between his legs, legs that had a slight sheen between them now from the wet spread of the lube, their sweat, and their combined leaking cocks.

Cloud on his side had his arms bent above his head, and had the sheets around his head wrinkled from where his hands grabbed them, obviously turned on making all sorts of other restrained noises in his throat, too. But wasn’t his sweat-covered abdomen strained taut, enough that it quivered, and weren’t his legs locked tight, pushing like a steel beam on Barret’s own thigh.

"Shit, man, when’s the last time you had a good fuck?" Barret was figuring out that the nights he spent at the bar might be the only times Cloud really "let loose", if he could even call it that.

Cloud didn’t deign to look up from his lap. He answered as flatly as he could, "Gonna be even longer if you don’t shut up with that."

"Nah," Barret said, and brushed his thumb over Cloud’s hole, feeling it flex and Cloud tense. "Gonna be even longer if you don’t _relax_."

Cloud huffed, raising his chin and thumping his head on the bed, his eyes shutting again. Looking exasperated with himself.

Barret sighed through his nose too. He cupped his hand over Cloud’s side and rubbed, up over the curve of his ribs, then back down along the bend in his waist all the way to his hip, keeping firm pressure. Felt the little touch-starved bastard melt under the feeling. "That’s right, I got you, Cloud," Barret rumbled. "You just gotta learn to breathe once in a while."

Cloud snorted lightly, which was something. "Didn’t expect you to be so…"

He didn’t finish. When Barret questioned, _Hm?_ Cloud muttered, _Forget it_. Barret didn’t plan to, but Cloud brought his arm around and grabbed Barret by the wrist. Pulling Barret’s hand to his mouth, he put his lips around the first of Barret’s thick digits, and sucked down on it.

Sending a straight zinger from the tip of that finger all the way to the tip of Barret's cock. Barret grunted, and jerked forward where he still nestled between Cloud’s thighs, making himself grunt again, while Cloud sucked and licked the next finger, too.

He looked up, letting Barret’s finger slip free and letting go of his wrist. Barret took Cloud’s chin in his hand instead, a little roughly from the sudden urge he had to grip him, making Cloud squint and scowl slightly after his surprise. "Relaxed, alright? Now do what you said you were gonna."

Barret scoffed, and released his hold. "Ain’t using your _spit_." He wiped his fingers on the bedsheet, then picked up the bottle of lube again.

He was trying to figure out the best way to squirt some out when Cloud pushed up onto the point of his elbow again, donning a little smirk. Barret heard the question before Cloud even asked.

"Need a hand?"

" _Ha, ha._ " Barret smacked the bottle into Cloud’s palm. Fine, he could use the assist.

Cloud shook the bottle down once hard, to get the lube to settle near the cap, then flicked the cap open and squeezed some out on his other hand, the one that was next to the mattress where his elbow was digging in. He twisted with his waist so his legs were still in place but his back was on the bed, and he reached for Barret’s hand to start _actually_ slicking up his fingers.

Barret would be lying if he said it wasn’t one of the most sensual things he’d experienced recently.

Cloud had large hands - not as big as Barret’s, but still - and long fingers. Barret knew that though, what with all the minutes he’d spent staring at them holding a drink. But now he felt on Cloud’s slender fingers the calluses he’d got from being a swordsman, underneath the wetness, while he took his careful time coating in between and over the bumps of Barret’s own thick finger knuckles. He felt how strong Cloud’s grip was - guess it had to be, to hang onto and wield that giant slab of a sword. Overall, Cloud's hands were tough but beautiful. Seemed to sum up the person they belonged to pretty well.

Barret said, a little ruefully, _Alright, that’s good_. He grabbed a fistful of Cloud’s ass again - because he could - leaving streaks with some residual lube. He smeared down Cloud’s hole, then breached him with his finger.

Cloud was fucking tight. No surprise. Cloud’s eyes squeezed shut, but he already knew to relax this time without being told. Barret gave a good thrust up along his cock to distract him.

Cloud reached blindly for the bottle of lube he’d dropped. He emptied some of it into his palm, then, dropped his hand into his lap. He circled, just managing to, his and Barret’s cocks to stroke the two of them off.

Barret groaned through a hanging open grin, " _Yeah_ , that’s good." Fuck, was it good, Cloud’s strong hand and strong thighs enveloping his pumping dick. Cloud’s ass slick and loosening up around his pumping finger. Barret pushed in a second finger, slowly.

_A-ah…_ Cloud rocked toward it, away from it. Pulled himself with his hand to take the edge off. His brow pinched while he got used to the stretch, and Barret waited until he did, until that brow smoothed over, keeping his fingers straight.

And then crooked the two of them, a swipe against Cloud’s prostate.

Cloud’s grip slipped on their cocks. And there it was - finally, a full-blooded groan from the repressed little shit.

"Yeah, baby," Barret encouraged, "C’mon, you _know_ it feels good."

"Fucking _shut up_ , Barret-" Barret nailed his prostate again, making Cloud cut off with another long moan. "Only if you do the talking," Barret rumbled, watching how Cloud’s eyes fluttered back open as he recovered.

" _Shit._ " Cloud reached for their dicks again, speeding up his strokes. Rubbing his face against the covers at every press Barret made inside him, Barret milking this for all it was worth, all of Cloud's little noises that tumbled loose now.

_Ba- Ah! Agh… Fuck, Barret…  
_

Fuck, were they making Barret hot, the furnace he already had of a body shedding heat even more, turning his and Cloud’s skin slick where they met. Barret would listen to Cloud’s voice all night - but they didn’t have all night, judging by the rising pitch of that voice. Cloud ordered Barret, _M-more._

If he wanted it - Barret squeezed alongside his third finger. He watched as Cloud rolled his forehead against the sheets, flushing down to his chest, openly panting after another fucking great moan. He had to be ready, or just right there.

Barret rubbed especially hard on that sweet spot. Rising higher, Cloud’s voice erupted the same time he did.

Cloud shouted - actually shouted - when he came. His dick pulsed long, thick stripes. Shooting his spunk so high some of it landed on the underside of his chin.

_Shit_ , had he been pent _up_.

Barret pulled out from Cloud’s ass and between his thighs, briskly wiping his fingers off on the bedcover before grabbing one of Cloud’s limp knees to roll him onto his back, his still stiff cock bobbing. Barret resumed jerking himself off above him.

Cloud blinked slowly at him, catching on how Barret was planning on finishing. It was tough to make out with the blood rushing Barret’s ears and his own dirty litany spilling from his lips, _Wanna make a mess on you. You’d like it if I came on you, huh? Like that, would ya?_

Cloud scowled at the truth of it, and told Barret, _Fuck_ _, fine…_ "Go ahead, big man."

Barret, hips straining, neck tensing, released, streaming hot white ropes across Cloud’s stomach. _He_ had no restraint about being as loud as he wanted (except that he almost missed hearing Cloud’s quieter, bit off version of his groan echoed back at him, as Cloud watched Barret spill onto him). He pumped himself through the aftershocks, squeezed out a few more drops, and finally let go of his softening cock.

_Mm… fuck_ , Barret ended succinctly. He reopened his eyes after them screwing shut.

Cloud was just the mess Barret wanted. Barret took his time admiring the state of him while Cloud was laying for him to admire, while they both caught their breath. All that skin that was flushed pink against Barret’s sheets. Those eyes that were barely open but glimmering where Barret could see they were. And he was just _covered_ in sweat, lube, and jizz, especially around his groin and thighs. Cloud was going to place a hand on himself before remembering, and laid it flat on the bed along his side instead.

"Hang tight," Barret said. He grunted as he got up, and walked, naked, down the hall to the bathroom, coming back carrying in the crook of one arm towels and a container of wipes to clean up before things got real sticky.

He pulled some of the wipes to start rubbing Cloud down. Cloud made a small noise, but went quiet and let Barret keep doing what he was doing. After, Barret threw a towel over his face. Cloud brought his hands up and pulled it down, throwing a glare over it before using it to dry himself off. Barret cleaned himself up.

He stood with spread feet and wiped one last cloth behind his neck. Cloud, still lying back, peeked up at him, no other hint of shyness in him though as his eyes roved. Barret’s grin split open across his teeth.

"Now was that good, or was that good?"

Cloud couldn’t even bother to put up a front. His toes curled and uncurled, and he sighed a slow, loose breath, sinking down more into the mattress. Finally totally lax.

"'Good''s a word for it."

That got a chuckle from Barret. He felt warm, and just damn good too - usually did, after loosening up like this himself with a good partner (and he’d had a damn good one, this time). "Told ya you needed it." He smirked with that warm feeling down at Cloud, who was sitting up, his palms curling over the edge of the bed by his knees.

Cloud returned the look. But a moment later he frowned, getting to his feet. He bent to pick up his clothes.

_Hmm…_ Barret intoned, frowning now too. He came to the decision, Nuh-uh, I ain't gonna stand for that.

Cloud had pulled his boxer briefs back on and had lifted his shirt off the floor when Barret walked up behind him, pulling his at least still lithe body back against him, and tucking his dipped shoulder under his chin.

Barret spoke low, knowing Cloud would feel it all along his back. "Ain’t gonna kick you out - unless you got someplace to be."

Cloud fisted his shirt closer to his chest. He turned his face to look at Barret from the corner of his eye. He obviously didn’t have someplace to be, except his shitty apartment. Probably, being a SOLDIER and even a mercenary, he wasn’t used to people wanting him to stick around after "the job" was done.

"…You sure about that?"

Barret was already taking the shirt out of Cloud’s hand, dropping it to pile back on the floor. "Yeah, I’m sure. What kinda stupid-ass question is that?"

Barret turned Cloud by the shoulder. Bent to kiss that tight-lipped mouth back out of shape. He could feel Cloud’s quiet surprise, and how he responded with careful slowness, making the kiss into something that lasted a little longer.

They wetly broke apart. Barret told him, after falling flat on his bed and folding his arm behind his head on the pillows and closing his eyes: "Make a mean breakfast, y'know."

He didn’t have to look when he could hear what contentment warily crept into Cloud’s response. "…Alright. Sounds good."

"Well, get over here, then."

Cloud clicked off the lamp when Barret told him to, but that was alright, because he moved just fine in the dark to make his way to Barret’s bed. He tucked himself against Barret’s right side. He swept the hairs he could reach that spread down Barret’s neck and chest that he seemed to like so much, and it was lulling, whether it was meant to be or not.

"Hey, Barret."

Barret roused himself enough to respond. "Hmm?"

It took Cloud a while to come up with an answer. Barret tried to hang back from sleep to catch it. He managed to just catch the fragility buried in Cloud’s serious voice too when he finally spoke up. "Just, uh… Thanks for… you know."

Fond humor at Cloud’s genuine awkward self caused one half of Barret’s mouth to curl upward. "You're all right, merc," he murmured. He yawned wide, and began drifting off again, for real.

Half-asleep he forgot as soon as each sense registered, like the squeak of the bed as Cloud raised himself to look down at Barret who had his eyes shut, then the warmth of Cloud when he settled back in flush to his side.

"Yeah." Cloud replied, "You too, Barret."

**Author's Note:**

> *raises glass* May I have done right by this most unappreciated of ships.
> 
> @highfivestrife (nsfw)


End file.
